My Name is Virginia
by Mae Stark
Summary: It's been five years since Tony and Pepper broke up, but the feelings are still there, despite it all.  Set in movieverse, after Iron Man 2


I didn't think I would ever write a fic that is depressing, it just isn't me, but this one came to me and I had to follow through. Enjoy, and if you have time, reviews are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I really wish I did own Iron Man and his awesomeness, but unfortunately for me, I do not.

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My Name is Virginia

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Virginia is walking into her favorite little coffee shop when she sees him. His head is lowered so that she can barely make out the perfect contours of his face, but she knows it is him. She would know him anywhere. She freezes in the doorway. It has been years since she has seen him and she doesn't know how to react. The cold winter wind blows in through the open door and she sees Tony pull his coat closer around himself in response, raises his head to find the source of the wintry breeze.

And then he sees her. His deep brown eyes lock onto hers, and he whispers, "Pepper?" Upon hearing her old nickname, the one Tony himself had given her, Virginia shudders. Although it's only been five years since she's been called by it, the name brings back memories from a past life.

Virginia knows it's too late to back out the door, so she cautiously moves forward a few steps. "Tony." She replies. She stops a few feet away from where he sits, hoping he will return the gesture and meet her halfway. He does.

Tony practically jumps from the seat, knocking over the bag at his feet. It topples and hits the ground with a metallic thud, and Virginia realizes that the bag contains his Iron Man suit. She smiles. Of course, after everything that had happened, Tony would still have the suit.

Tony is standing in front of her now. He looks good, just as young as when she had last seen him. Virginia wonders if it's the power of the arc reactor keeping him young. Knowing him and his magnificent intelligence, he has probably found a way to use it to stay young forever.

Neither of them knows what to do, and Tony glances sideways at his table, then back at her. "Would you, um, like to sit down?" His brown eyes are unreadable. Virginia considers his offer. She doesn't want to talk to him, to have to try to explain everything that has happened since she left. Her brain is screaming at her to leave, to walk back out the door and leave Tony standing there alone. Just like she did five years ago.

Yet her heart is begging her to stay. There is some strange force pulling her towards him, a confusing attraction that threatens to take over her reasonable thinking. Virginia Potts is a very rational person; she always makes the decision that is most logical. But this time, for some reason, she ignores her rational thoughts and sits down at the table, across from Tony. He smiles at her, and she finds herself smiling back. Neither of them say anything for a few seconds; they just sit there, taking each other in. Beneath his smoldering brown eyes, Pepper sees a familiar, yearning look, but she ignores it because she must.

She clears her throat and crosses her legs underneath the table. "How are you?" She asks.

He looks down at his hands where they rest, folded together, atop the table. He takes a few moments to respond, but then he says, "Good actually. Can't complain."

She smiles again and then nods. It's good to see him in such good shape. She thinks back to when he had left after they broke up, how he had disappeared. She knew he had left on his own accord, but that hadn't stopped her from searching for him for a few months before she had given up and moved on. After all, how can you find someone who doesn't want to be found?

"Where have you been?" She asks.

"Oh, I've just been wandering around the world in the suit, ever since…" He trails off and raises his eyes to look at her.

Virginia knows he is thinking about her, them, and she is upset that she can't explain it to him. "I'm sorry." She whispers, and she knows he can hear her. Tears flood her eyes and she looks down, tracing the pattern of the tablecloth with her eyes.

Tony reaches across the table and gently pulls her face up to look at him. "Hey," he says, "It's okay." He doesn't say anything more, but he leaves his rough, calloused hand on her chin, and she waits for him to lean in closer, pulling her lips to his…

But he doesn't. After a few seconds, he drops his hand and turns away, looking conflicted. She is surprised at his self-control; he really must have changed. This bothers her. He is not the Tony she remembers from years ago.

It also bothers her that she had wanted him to kiss her. As this realization hits her, her rational brain finally kicks into action, and she stands up. "I – I h-have to go." She stutters, turns away from the table and Tony and hurries toward the door.

Virginia is already outside, making her way down the sidewalk when Tony catches up with her. He grabs her wrist and turns her around. "Pepper," he pleads, "Don't go." He is hurt. But he doesn't understand, and she doesn't want him to understand, because the truth would just hurt him more.

Virginia struggles to hold back the tears, and Tony pulls her towards him. He is still grasping her hand in one of his, and now he brings it up to press against his cheek. "What's wrong?" He asks. She says nothing and closes her eyes, leaning into his touch, craving it. She wants to tell him so badly, but she knows it will only hurt him even more. This secret is what's keeping them apart.

She opens her eyes to find Tony still staring at her in concern. Before either of them know what is happening, he is leaning forward into her, and she breathes in his exhilarating scent. It's the same as she remembers it: his favorite soap, a bit of grease, and something more that she could never quite place. It makes her long for what they used to have, back when it was simpler, just the two of them. Maybe, just maybe, they could have that again.

She lets Tony get closer and closer until their lips touch, and then there is nothing else in the world except them. Virginia kisses him back because she knows she still feels something for him. She lets down her guard, lets him in, and she feels liberated. It has always been like that with Tony. Whenever she is around him, she feels a sense of freedom, a high she can't get from anyone else. Anyone else, except…

Then Virginia remembers who she is and what she's doing, and pulls away. Tony looks bewildered, wounded. "Pepper?" The strong emotions color his voice and make it attractively rough.

She shakes her head and tries to remain composed long enough to speak to him. "My name is Virginia, Tony." She says. And then she doesn't know what else to say, so she squeezes his hand and then withdraws. Right as she is turning to leave him, she catches a glimpse of the heartbreaking expression in his chocolate brown eyes. There, in their depths, she can see the pain and anguish and loneliness and confusion, and, worst of all, tears. The great Tony Stark began to cry, silently. More than anything, she wants to turn around and comfort him. But, instead, she forces herself to walk away, leaving him there to suffer alone.

Virginia manages to make it a city block before her emotions threaten to consume her. She looks back, but Tony is gone. She thinks about what he will do now, and begins to cry, the sobs shaking her entire body. She tells herself that she has made the right choice, that Tony is no longer hers, but her heart still aches. Looking down at her hand, she sees the engagement ring there, glittering on her left ring finger, and it reinforces her decision. Putting herself back together, she rubs her eyes and heads for home, not looking back.

But Tony's heartbroken face still haunts her.


End file.
